Attempts At Uncertainty
by AvariUchiha
Summary: When an untried team with a newly promoted leader are sent on a mission that surely spells suicide, to spy on the Akatsuki and come back unscathed, how will they survive? SasukexOC in later chapters...if you don't like, don't read, simple as that.
1. Chapter 1

Well….This is my very first story posted on so be kind, and please be advised that all flames will be fed to my cat, because I don't give a damn.

All characters, chakra, jutsu, and anything I may have failed to note belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Who is a far greater genius than I could ever hope to be.

The character Avari belongs to me. So there. Well, here goes nothing, I hope you enjoy!!!

_Attempts At Uncertainty_

The hardened fist of Avari Kunami slammed down on the unsuspecting alarm clock at exactly 2:33 a.m. The impact didn't quite shatter it, but something inside it snapped, and the red digital display, which usually glared the time angrily at anyone who cared to look, went blank. Avari sighed, and swung her legs out over the side of her bed, and rested her feet gingerly onto the cold hard-wood floor. It was dark in the room save for the small rivulet of moonlight shining through the partially closed curtains, but it was enough to shed light on her dark hair and nearly pearlescent pale skin. She closed her eyes wearily, blocking out her room and hiding her cerulean blue eyes from sight. She sighed heavily, and stood up, heading towards the bathroom connected to her bedroom, knocking the broken alarm clock into the trash on the way there.

She had awoken like this every night for the past three months, the screams of her nightmares fresh in her ears, as though her memories had been lying in bed with her, waiting for REM sleep to set in, so they could pounce. At first they had frightened her, and she would wake up tangled in her bed sheets, soaked in sweat, and having to explain to her alarmed father that she was indeed fine, and that she was sorry for waking him. (Even though this was totally unnecessary. Hatake Kakashi being who he what he was, he was no stranger to nightmares.) By now, however, she was just curious to know what they meant, and why they kept waking her up in the middle of the night, leaving her restless and alarmed.

She blundered into the small bathroom, squinting irritably as the halogen lights hummed to life. Rubbing her eyes, trying to keep the images fresh in her mind, she reached into her shower and spun the knobs to her preferred setting, then shrugged out of her pajamas and waited for the water to warm sufficiently to be livable. She knew better than to think she was going to get back to sleep, so she might as well get up and prepare for the day. She stepped under the hot stream, allowing the water to wake her and clarify her thoughts a bit. The room came into sharper focus as soon as the water hit her, and she sat down in the bottom of the shower, and stared at the faucet, deeply in thought.

The dream was always the same. She was always a small child, and she would find herself lying on top of a hill, in the middle of the night. The moon was full and huge, almost blotting out the rest of the sky, and it illuminated the other figure standing a few feet away from her. She would stand up, and walk to this woman, tugging on her pants the way a child that wants to be picked up instinctively knows how to tug. The woman would oblige, but her face would always remain hidden behind her hair; all but her mouth, which would curve into a pretty smile…very pretty, except for the long, almost translucently white, delicately pointed teeth protruding from gently curved lips. Suddenly, the hill they were standing on would erupt from cool moonlight to the raging, angry blaze of fire, and the cool summer night breeze would be heavy with the stench of blood. And still the woman would stand there, smiling her serene, mostly hidden smile and hold the child against her in a steely, unyielding grip. The smaller Avari would squirm, protesting to the woman's grip and trying to escape the mayhem that had erupted all around them, but the woman would not let go. Instead, she would pull Avari close, whisper words that she could not hear, or rather, that she could not understand, and then pain would scream from every inch of her body, and she would wake sweaty and aching and thoroughly disoriented.

She sat, recounting this to herself for the uncountable thousandth time, until the water stopped feeling warm and just felt wet, and then she pulled herself, defeated and still sleepy-eyed out of the shower, and towards her closet. She pulled on her usual outfit, a pair of loose-fitting black cargos, a plain mid-sleeve shirt, her sandals, and Hitai-ate, which she tied smartly around her neck. She shut off the light, ran her fingers through her short, choppy hair and made her way to the kitchen. Fortunately, because her dad loved her, (or more likely to keep her from burning anything), the coffee pot was already set up with the proper amount of grinds and water, and all she had to do was push 'power.' This she did with all the weary familiarity of anyone who has walked the same path in their darkened house many times before, and then pulled herself up onto the counter, waiting for the dripping to stop, and signal the coffee ready to drink.

Some minutes later she was filling up her coffee cup, which declared "Konoha's finest!" in bright, preachy pink letters. The rest of the pot she poured into a thermos and set inside a warmer, so Kakashi would have something to drink when he woke up some hours later. By that point she would already be holed up in the ANBU corps. Training facility, beating away at what was left of her assigned training dummy and awaiting her team's orders. She finished her cup of coffee, still perched comfortably on the kitchen counter, and then slid off, and placed her cup softly in the sink. She scribbled out a note telling her dad that she wasn't dead or kidnapped, that she had just gone on, and would see him later. This was purely a formality by this point, a polite gesture, because she had been getting up and leaving like this since the nightmares started, and they were both well aware of her new schedule by this point.

She slipped on her traveling cloak, and stepped out into the chilly November morning. It was still in the dead hours of morning, since only an hour and half had passed since she'd woken up and broken her clock, and the air was as crisp and biting as was to be expected of fall in Konoha. She flipped the collar of the cloak up to keep the biting winds away from her face, and set off towards the Black Ops building, her footfalls echoing back to her with a soft 'skif,' through the empty streets.


	2. Chapter 2

Avari flitted passed all the still buildings, their empty windows like eyes, staring endlessly into the night. She arrived quickly at the ANBU compound, slid her key into the keyhole, and slipped into the building and out of sight. She knew her was around this building as well as her own home, and slipped through the darkened hallways without having to turn on a light. When she turned down the last hallway before the training gym, however, a glow at the end told her that someone else was apparently up and moving at this early hour.

She dropped her hand to the kunai holster strapped to her thigh in a familiar practiced motion, and inched along the corridor towards the training gym. No one had a key but the ANBU members, and nothing had looked disturbed when she had entered, but her instincts and training had taught her to be safe rather than sorry. She got to the doorway, where she could hear the labored breathing and the thuds associated with the impact of fist to dummy. She moved her hand away from the holster, and turned into the lit room, and leaned against the doorway, her arms crossed, and her expression neutral.

The man in the room was indeed part of the ANBU. The dark haired heir to the Uchiha clan was busy punching and kicking the training dummy, methodically, and in the practiced, text book way they teach you in the Academy. He did not turn around, or break his set, but Avari knew he knew she was there, and she walked around him silently to start in on what was left of her own dummy.

One thousand kicks…one thousand punches; standard practice endurance training. She immersed herself in this; she reveled in the slight sting it brought her still tired muscles. She allowed her mind to wander as she pummeled the dummy, working all the kinks out of her body. The dream flooded her mind, bringing with it question upon unanswerable question, and she did not notice that the sound of impacts from behind her had ceased, or that she was in eminent danger of knocking the head off her dummy, until a hand entered her field of vision, and grabbed the dummy to steady it. Her eyes darted up to meet the dark orbs of Sasuke Uchiha. He seemed to read the questioning look there because he spoke up before she had a chance to.

"Look, it was about to come off anyway," He said, indicating this by flipping his wrist and bending the dummy's head off and away from its neck. It was just a dummy, but she grimaced slightly at the grotesque caricature anyway. She let out a long, low sigh and stepped back a bit from the dummy, turning her attention to Sasuke. "What brings you here so early?" She asked, studying him slightly. He looked a little more pale than usual, and there was darkness under his eyes that hadn't been present before. It was obvious that he hadn't been sleeping. He gave her a hard look in return, and she imagined that she could not look much better.

"I could ask you them same question," He said, arching an eyebrow, and shifting slightly to lean against the wall. He studied her out of the corner of his eye. Avari resisted the urge to smirk or say something sarcastic. "I asked you first." She said, keeping her tone flat but allowing the faintest hint of playfulness to flash into her eyes. He arched an eyebrow, but shrugged, in a conciliatory way. "Couldn't sleep," he said cryptically. "You?" Avari sighed.

"Pretty much the same as every time you catch me here so early. Couldn't sleep either." She said with a tiny sigh. She suddenly craved more coffee. "I'm going out for some coffee; you're welcome to come along, my treat." Avari offered, looking up at him as she started for the door. He thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Yea, but not your treat, mine." He said, and turned out of the doorway and into the corridor, and Avari followed him.

They exited the building into the delicate light of early morning. The sun wasn't high enough in the sky to burn through the night-time chill, but thankfully the wind had died down, and they didn't have to walk with their cloaks up around their ears. It was still too early for there to be many people up, but there was a slight trickle of people moving quickly towards their different places of work, the early birds of the city that opened up for the world each day. They ambled into a little coffee shop a few blocks up the street, shivering at the sudden temperature change. It was almost steamy in the little shop, the scent of fresh and spent coffee beans heavy in the air. Avari inhaled deeply, before stepping up the counter beside Sasuke to place the order. The clerk handed them the cups filled with the dark hot liquid, Sasuke tossed a couple coins onto the counter, and they left back out into the cold towards the ANBU building.

"Do you think this has anything to do with the squad Captaincy?" Sasuke asked as they re-entered the building, which was now completely lit up, though there was still very few people there yet. Avari shrugged. "I don't know…but the dreams started about three months ago. The Captaincy was recent. I'm not honestly sure what started them, but—" She cut herself off as someone passed, and they waited silently for the person to go out of earshot to continue. "But it's the same thing every time. Its getting a bit annoying honestly." Avari muttered, exasperated. Sasuke spared a bemused half smile at her before they entered the main chambers so Avari could pick up the task list for the week. Expecting it to be the usual dribble of guard duty and escorts, she pocketed the scroll and was on the way out of the room before a familiar voice stopped her. "I'd open it now if I were you…it might be worth your while." Kakashi spoke up, detaching himself from the wall and wandering over to them, nose in his book.

Avari ogled at him momentarily. "Dad, what're you doing here?" She asked. "Did they give you the day off of midget duty?" She asked, earning an eye-roll from both men. "It's an off day at the moment, and I thought I'd come down and check on you," He responded smoothly, tucking his book away and looking down at her. "Well, go on, open that." He said. Avari popped the seal and unfurled it, and…hit the floor. "S-rank…scouting mission to WHERE?!" She muttered. Avari turned on her heel and sped into one of the meeting rooms, waiting for Sasuke and Kakashi to enter before shutting the door snugly and locking it. Here, she thrust the message into his hands, suddenly looking agitated.

His dark orbs scanned the paper quickly, before narrowing dangerously. "We're supposed to go after _them?_" He asked, faintly incredulous, dropping the scroll onto the table and leaning against the wall. Avari sighed. "Cute. Really fucking cute. I haven't even been squad leader long enough to equip a team passed you. And Sasuke, you're amazing, but I don't think the two of us are quite ready to sneak into the Akatsuki compound, spy, and live to give the report later." She muttered, plopping onto the table dejectedly. Still she couldn't deny the slight quiver of excitement running down her spine. The idea of such an extreme mission, the chance to bring the Akatsuki to their knees, was exhilarating. The chance to fix the future of the Uchiha standing across from her was an added bonus.

"Well, that's not entirely true." Kakashi said, his eyes twinkling, showing the smile hidden behind his mask. He reached into his pouch and pulled out his old ANBU mask. Avari smiled gratefully up at her dad. 'Must remember to buy him something nice later,' she thought to herself. She rested a hand on his arm. "Thanks…you always know, don't you," She said softly with a grin. He shrugged. "Not always, but mostly when it counts," He replied.

"What are we going to do about the rest of the team…anyone we know well enough to trust on this mission is either on missions of their own, or not in the ANBU at all," Sasuke interjected, glancing up at her. Avari sighed, and sat back on the table again. No one said anything for a few moments, taking time to sift through and process possible candidates. "Shikamaru is lurking about here somewhere just sitting, isn't he?" Avari mused aloud eventually. "I'll go get him," Sasuke said, turned out the doorway and disappeared. Avari smiled after him appreciatively and turned back to Kakashi. "Do you know of anyone you would trust for this?" She asked, chewing absently on her lower lip.

Kakashi shrugged. "No one that would be right for this mission. Gai and Genma come to mind, but both already have duties of their own, and neither one has ever served with you on a mission. That…and I'd like to see who you come up with." He said, retrieving Icha Icha Paradise and disappearing behind it before Avari could think of something to say. She resorted to pacing, running her fingers through her hair distractedly until Sasuke returned with Shikamaru. Who looked oh-so-thrilled to be alive, as usual. Avari looked at him for a few moments before speaking.

"Wanna do me a favor?" She asked, smiling her best, winning smile. Shikamaru did not seem phased. "Depends on what it is and how long it's going to take," He said, stretching massively and taking a seat in one of the chairs. Sasuke leaned back against the wall and met eyes with Kakashi, with a look that clearly communicated amused anxiety. This was going to be a hard sell for Avari, very early in the morning. Avari sighed, and opted to hand him the mission scroll rather than try to negotiate; at least at this juncture. Shikamaru's keen eyes scanned the scroll, and when his eyes fell on the particulars of the mission, he let out a long, low whistle and tossed the scroll back to Avari.

For several long moments, the room was quiet save for the collective breathing of the group. "Well…?" Avari ventured. Shikamaru groaned. "WHY me, Avari? You know I don't like getting involved –" He started, but Avari cut him off. "You DO like getting involved. You just don't like staying involved. But you've got a good head on your shoulders, you're extremely intelligent, and I NEED you on this one. Truly. There aren't a lot of people I would trust to ask for help on something like this, but you ARE one of them. Please?" She asked, sitting down to be eye level with him. Shikamaru looked at her for a moment, before turning away. "Damn women…this whole thing is going to be such a drag." And then, "When do we leave?" He asked. Avari beamed at him, and at the other two in the room. Sasuke shook his head, smiling softly and Kakashi just chuckled into this book. Avari had to resist the urge to hug him. "Thank you, Shika…really, thanks." She said, extending her hand to shake his, which he allowed.

She stood up again, turning about to start pacing again. "Alright…one more and we're set, but who?" She muttered, looking around at the boys for an answer. "Lee." Shikamaru said after a moment. Avari stopped. "Oh…I'm horrible, I completely forgot him…Is he on mission with Gai at the moment?" She addressed this question to Kakashi. "I don't know, but I'll check," He said, snapped his book closed smartly and walked out of the room. "So, what's the plan?" Sasuke asked, crossing the room to take a seat beside Avari. She looked over at him, then rocked back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. "According to intelligence, their main base of operations is somewhere in the no man's land between Iwagakure and Kirigakure. We'll have to cross into their domain totally unnoticed, embed ourselves deep behind enemy lines, and stay there, unnoticed and cut off from the communication lines of Konoha for a week, and then make it back alive to tell about it. I'll have to have you guys look over the maps with me, when and if Kakashi can get Lee to help. I don't even want to start thinking about a plan until I have the whole team assembled." She said, holding his gaze momentarily. She hoped that he couldn't see the small flutter of panic that was beginning to swim madly behind her eyes.

If he saw, he gave no outward expression of it. He simply nodded and leaned back in his chair. The three of them sat silently, immersed in their private thoughts for the few tense moments before Kakashi reappeared, Lee hot on his heels. Avari stood up to greet him with an outstretched hand, but he bowed low before she could get the chance. "It would be my honor and pleasure to help you with this mission, Avari-chan!" He exclaimed, straightening up with such alarming speed that Avari was sure his momentum would carry him over backwards, but he maintained his balance and saluted with a swift movement of the arm. Avari had to resist the urge to stare blankly at him. "Lee, you're a life saver," She said, favoring him, and the others with a bemused grin. "You and Shika both. But you may want to have a look at this before you decide." She said, tossing him the mission scroll. Lee caught it, looked it over, and threw it back to her with a nod. "My answer is the same. It would be an honor to serve with you." He said with another salute. Avari smiled gratefully.

Avari walked around the table to a cabinet on the far side of the meeting area and pulled out a large scroll map of the country, and unfurled it onto the table top. She took out a marker, and circled an area of about 60 miles of empty, or rather non denominative land. "This is the rough area our intelligence has placed the Akatsuki base of operations in. Our mission, as you have been made aware, is to sneak in, and observe the enemy for the period of 7 days, take notes and records of their activities, and make it back alive to give the report to Lady Tsunade. It will take at least two weeks to make it there on foot. We will be gone and cut off from Konoha for over a month. It won't be an easy mission, and the chance of escaping unharmed is pretty much zero. What I need from each of you is input; helpful advice and skills that will keep this team alive and intact. You've all been chosen for your unique skills, and your familiarity with each other and myself. We won't be leaving for another week or so, but I must ask that you speak to no one of the nature of this mission. We'll regroup tomorrow to start making plans. In the meantime, I'd like you all to get in as much training and rest as possible. I'll need you all in top condition when we leave, alright? Any questions," She paused here, a little to see if they had any questions, but mostly to work the anxious lump out of her throat. As she had expected, none of the boys raised their hands. "Good then, for the moment, you're all dismissed. And…truly, thank you." She added, smiling around at them. They all gave their familiar signs of "you're welcome!" and Shikamaru and Lee got up, and as far as Avari could tell made their way in the direction of the training grounds.

Avari sighed heavily and slumped down in her chair. "I don't like this…" she muttered. "You did fine, that was a very good speech," Kakashi commented. "You're a bunch of guys," She muttered again, rubbing her head. Sasuke made a sardonic noise. Avari threw something at him, which he caught and dropped on the floor, un phased. "Seriously. This is an untried team on a dangerous mission, with a captain who is younger than them AND a girl!" she said as she rubbed her head, which had started to ache. "But, you have a lot on your side," Kakashi countered. "Like?" Avari asked, arching one dark brow at him. "Like, you've all known each other for quite a long while, you all have key strengths and abilities perfectly suited to this mission, and, above all," here Kakashi paused for effect. "Above all?" Avari coaxed, curiously. "Above all, your team respects you just as much as you respect them." Sasuke finished for him. They both looked around, and Kakashi nodded approvingly. "Exactly. We've all got your back, and we trust you with ours. And that, above all else, is what gives me the most faith that we, and you, will make this mission a success. Don't sell yourself short just yet." He said. Avari shook her head, but she was smiling. "In the mean time, why don't you two follow your order and get some training in. I have some paperwork for this assignment transfer to put in. I'll see you later tonight." He said, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Avari looked over at Sasuke. "Wanna?" She asked, eyebrow slightly arched. "Sure," He said, and held the door for her as they exited towards the outdoor training fields.


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke and Avari walked side by side in companionable silence towards their old training grounds. This time of day, most of the Genin teams would be out on their D-ranks, and when the pair got to the fields, they were blissfully empty. Avari turned to Sasuke, and dropped her hand to her holster. "You're move?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. Sasuke took a step back as well, his arms hanging motionless at his sides. "By all means, ladies first." He responded smoothly. Avari shrugged. "Okay," And slipped two kunai from the holster, and flung them towards him with a practiced flick of the wrist. In the time it would have taken him to block, she dove passed him, and attempted to land a right hook between his shoulder blades. He dodged the kunai and they flew passed him uselessly, and he spun around so quickly he was almost a blur, grabbed Avari's wrist, and tossed her away from him. Avari caught herself, and skidded to a halt a few feet away. Sasuke arched an eyebrow, "Come on, now, you know you'll have to do better than that," He said with a half smirk. There was a hint of playfulness in his voice that only surfaced when he was sparring, and Avari grinned. "Well…I already did," She said softly. She made two short hand signs, completing the set, and shouted: "Earth Style: Mud Spear Jutsu!" There was a massive upheaval of earth as the ground formed itself into giant spears, and shot towards Sasuke like so many muddy fingers of a giant. Sasuke hurled himself into the air just in time to avoid them, but they changed direction, and flew after him again.

He made a few hand signs as well, and shouted: "Katon! Goukakyou no Jutsu!" And engulfed the massive spears in a torrent of flame.

It hardened the earth, and in huge caked chunks, they fell apart and the Jutsu ended. Sasuke landed a ways away from her. "When did you learn _that?_" He asked, seeming genuinely surprised. Avari grinned. "I made it up a while ago…" She said nonchalantly, starting to circle around him. Sasuke kept pace with her around the clearing. "I thought you were more a fire style than an earth style user," He mused, keeping his eyes on hers. She held his gaze calmly. "I am, but, you know…I like to dabble sometimes. I'm curious." She shrugged. A slow smile spread across Sasuke's smooth features, and in one fluid motion, he completely disappeared from her view. Avari experienced a moment of panic before his voice reappeared again, so close behind her that she could feel his warm breath on her neck. "Well, curiosity killed the cat, you know…" He murmured softly. Avari closed her eyes, taking one moment to savor this before concentrating her chakra into her feet. "Yea? Says who?" Avari queried, and turned her head to look at him for a moment before buffering off the ground and into the air away from him.

He caught her ankle on the way up, and yanked her down towards the ground. Avari managed to spin in his grasp, and brought a kunai down into the soft spot of his shoulder joint. As soon as the kunai punctured his skin, the clone disappeared, and Avari careened into thin air. 'Damn it…now where is he?' She thought as she looked around. A sharp tendril of mingled panic and exhilaration worked its way down her spine. If she didn't catch sight of him before he did whatever it was he was going to do, she was done for. She crouched low to the ground and made a few more seals with her hands. "Hidden Mist Jutsu!" She said softly, and immediately the training area was transformed from sunny and warm to shadowed, chilly and barely visible. Avari grinned a bit and sprinted off into a stand of bushes off to the side, then made a few shadow clones and sent them off into the distance, in an attempt to confuse him. She sat perfectly still, keeping her breaths as silent as possible, and watched him move about the clearing. She could still see him perfectly, which was the advantage she liked about the Hidden Mist Jutsu. He passed within a few feet of her first shadow clone, and she had it start to run in the other direction.

The movement must have caught Sasuke's attention, because his eyes flashed that way, and Avari could feel the tell-tale cold wave that meant he had activated his Sharingan. She watched him for a few moments as he chased the shadow clone, and was not particularly surprised when he stopped, and destroyed it with a shuriken instead of wasting energy chasing it. What she had not expected was for him to turn in the fog and look right at her, smirk slightly, and then start making hand signs. She had to resist jumping out of her skin, and what he did next didn't help. "Hidden Mist Jutsu." He said, his soft voice carrying to her through the fog, and then he disappeared from view. 'Shit, damn it, his Sharingan, I should have known!' She cursed silently and started to run. She couldn't see him, but she was pretty sure _he _could see _her_, and she needed to get away before he decided to come after her. The kunai that whizzed passed her so close it opened a cut on her cheek told her that she'd just run out of time. She hurled herself into the air, wrapping a paper bomb around the hilt of a kunai, and tossing it at the ground. Once she heard the "thunk!" of its impact, she detonated it, and blew all the mist away.

She landed on the branch of a tree, and squinted about as the mist cleared, looking for signs of her opponent. He seemed, however, to have disappeared, and that concerned her. She jumped down out of the tree, but kept close to the tree line, and continued to look. She had to assume that already knew where she was, and so she kept moving through the brush.

'Not above me….not to the left, right, or center…and I don't sense his presence below me…so, by process of elimination…' She whirled around quickly, expecting to see Sasuke flying towards her, fire Jutsu brought to bear in all its fury…and found only empty forest and trees. She let out an imperceptible sigh of relief, and turned back towards the training field, only to find that her immediate range of vision was taken up by Sasuke. She could not catch the surprised little gasp that escaped her lips, and she took an involuntary step back from him.

"Hi." She said, nodding as though this were totally normal. He favored her with a half smirk, his eyes still crimson with the Sharingan. "Hi. I know you're a clone, so why don't you come on out, Avari?" He said, loud enough to carry across the field. The clone smirked back at him, and disappeared, and the cold steel of a kunai found its home rested gently against the hollow of his neck. "I win," She said smoothly from behind him. He grabbed her wrist and turned around to face her. "Or do you?" He asked, and his clone disappeared, as well. Avari didn't even have time to spin around before his arm caught her around the waist, just hard enough to knock her off balance. She stumbled, right back into his leg, and fell backwards. She threw back her hands to catch herself, and threw her legs up around his neck, spun, and threw him away from her. He caught himself a few feet away and threw himself at her, kunai drawn, and managed to cut her arm on the way passed. Avari stumbled backwards, holding her arm, and waited for him to get up and attack. He spun back around her, and used a backhand fist to try and knock her in the side of the head. She blocked it with her good arm, which he grabbed and spun around her neck, affectively binding her movement. They stood there for a moment, pinned together by her arm, and panting, before Sasuke spoke up.

"Looks like I caught you." He said simply from behind her, his voice very close to her ear. Avari stopped struggling and hung limply in his grasp, attempting to catch her breath. She looked back at him with a smile. "Yea…truce?" She asked, one wry eyebrow arched slightly. He seemed to consider it momentarily, before his eyes turned back to their normal shade of black, and he nodded. He gave her wrist a soft squeeze before he let it go, and she plopped onto the ground and started going through her pouch, looking for bandages. She grinned up at him a bit. "You really got me good, you loser," She muttered good-naturedly. He smirked, and knelt down beside her. He produced some bandages of his own and started to wrap her arm for her. "Get better at dodging, then." He said gruffly, but with the faintest ghost of a smile, that Avari knew was good humored. He tugged on the bandages to keep them snug, and tied them off, then offered her a hand up, which she took. "That was fun." She said decidedly as they left the now battle worn training grounds. He nodded his agreement. "We should do it again sometime, if we survive this mission." He replied.


	4. Chapter 4

"Yeah, 'if' being the operative word," She responded, and frowned thoughtfully at the dirt as they walked. "I wonder why we were chosen for type of mission, so soon after my promotion. I mean, it's almost unheard of to send an untried, and at the time _unformed_ ANBU unit out on a mission of this caliber. It's a bit odd, wouldn't you say?" She glanced at him. He let out a long sigh, and glanced back. "I was thinking that, too. As far as I can gather, it could only have been for a couple reasons. The first, most likely, was to test your ability to equip a good team for a difficult mission. The second…is because we're the best," Here, he trailed off, and Avari looked at him, eyebrow arched. "You and I graduating at the top of our class doesn't seem like a good enough reason to send us on a suicide run." Avari mused, and stopped to look at him.

He stopped with her, and shrugged. "Why not? You've seen what they're putting Neji through, on the grounds that he's the genius of the Hyuuga, and Gaara is already Kazekage. We've got Sunagakure and the Akatsuki to compete with for military power. Lord Hokage and the council are probably trying to pump out and sharpen every weapon we've got. Including the human ones." Sasuke said, his voice suddenly weary. Avari wrinkled her nose distastefully. "The movements of the Akatsuki I can see as a motivation, but Suna? Why would we be worried about the shinobi strength of our allies…since Gaara's become Kazekage, our alliance with Suna has never been stronger." She started walking again, but with slightly less enthusiasm. "It's in the nature of shinobi leaders to be respectfully cautious and suspicious of their neighbors. I don't like it any more than you do, but it's the way of things."

He led them back into the village proper, towards a small tea shop, and ordered them both a ginger tea. "Thanks," She said with a small smile, and he nodded. "No problem." The sun had climbed high into the autumn sky, and a slight wind cooled the edge off the last remnants of summer heat. A few off duty ninja were making their way between the shops, restocking lost weaponry and bandages, and off in the distance a bell sounded, and the distant shouts and screams marked the beginning of the early combat training session at the Konoha Ninja Academy. Avari smiled nostalgically. "Oh, to be young…" she murmured, and took another sip of her tea.

To this, Sasuke made no reply, nor had she expected him to. They continued on until they found, and took a seat at a shaded bench, and continued their conversation. "The Akatsuki stronghold will be just that, and since I doubt they'll be holding their secret meetings outside on the veranda with tea, we won't be able to just camp out outside the place the whole time. We'll have to sneak inside. Maybe more than once." Avari mused aloud. Sasuke set down his teacup and nodded, studying her silently.

"We'd have to sneak in, completely undetected, spy on their conversations, possibly steal scrolls and information, and leave…without anyone noticing something's amiss." She stated softly. She stared back at him intently, as though she hoped to read the answer to this nameless problem in his deep onyx orbs. He held her gaze, but remained silent. He knew she was trying to work through something, and he intended to let her.

She drew her legs up onto the bench and sat cross-legged so she could face him. "Sasuke, that's impossible." She breathed after a few moments intense staring. He nodded. "I know it is." "Well…that means we've only got one shot, and we'd have to do it on the last day." "Yes." "We'd have to spend the other days of the week watching their movements, to find the right _time_ to sneak in." She said this last with conviction, and swilled down the last of her tea. "Sasuke, you're a genius." She added. He snorted. "I didn't do anything." Avari shook her head. "I can't think unless you're around," She said mildly, then stopped and closed her mouth with a snap. She stared down into her cup dubiously for a moment, as though she was waiting for something. Sasuke arched an eyebrow curiously at her, but didn't inquire further. When nothing blew up, as she had expected it to, she continued on as though nothing had happened. "That's a very good plan, and I wouldn't have come up with it so quickly without you here. Hence for why you're a genius." She concluded, and stood up again. She crinkled her empty teacup and stowed it in her pocket for later disposal. "If you say so," He said, almost amiably, and held out his hand to her. She stared at it. Just when she was about to raise an uncertain hand to his, he spoke up to clarify. "Give me your cup, dobe, and I'll throw it away." He said, his tone light and teasing, but his eyes rather not.


	5. Chapter 5

The new clock glowed 2:15 a.m. in a digital blue. The faint blue glow illuminated the room, and threw shadows over the place where Avari still slept. A storm had kicked up a few hours ago, the dark clouds roiling ceaselessly in the sky, hammering her windows with rain. The wind howled, and every so often a bolt of lightning would streak across the sky, illuminating the sleeping village for a split second before dipping it back into the inky blackness of the night. Thunder would clap, loud and strong enough to wake even the stoutest child from a sound sleep, and send them crying to their parents. Summer was determined to have its last mighty thrall before it completely gave way to autumn.

Avari muttered in her sleep, and turned away from the windows. None of the fury of the storm made its way to her. In her mind, she stood on the hill, in the moonlight, with the woman who spoke words she didn't understand as the night went to hell around her. She was ushered back into the conscious world with a particularly large bolt of lightning, gasping and clutching her sheets. The thunder that rolled by carried away the last of the screams, and Avari pulled her knees to her chest, and beat her head against her knees. Slowly, she stood up, and pulled her curtains the rest of the way back to peer out into the storm. She sighed, her breath fogging the glass as rain streaked down the other side. She smiled softly to herself…she had always loved the rain.

Moments later she was showered and dressed. She made her way to the kitchen and flipped the little button with a dull lack of enthusiasm. It was much too early to be headed to the ANBU building, and, as much as she loved the rain, the middle of a thunderstorm was not the best time to be running about. So, when the coffee was finished, she poured two cups, and made her way back to her father's room. It was all the way down the hallway and up a flight of stairs, and when she reached it, she hesitated. It was still in the early hours, and she didn't like to bother him. Slowly, being careful to balance the coffee cups, she turned the knob and walked into the room.

Kakashi's room was fairly modest, nice four-poster bed, some cloths on the floor, and a private bathroom like Avari's. She had expected to find him still asleep, but to her surprise he was sitting up in bed. There was a skylight in his room, and he had been staring out at the storm. When Avari opened the door, his head snapped towards her. She favored him with a tired smile.

"Morning, Dad…want coffee?" She asked, lifting the cup a bit. He smiled softly back at her. "Sure…did your morning walk get rained out, my dear?" He asked with a small wink. "Tsh…just a bit…" She muttered, handing him the steaming cup and taking a cross-legged seat on the end of the bed. She inhaled deeply over the cup before taking a sip, and setting in on the stand behind her.

"I had that dream again." She said after a while. Kakashi nodded. "You have it every night." He said, not unkindly. "What do you think about this mission, dad?" She asked, steering the topic away from her dreams again. He sighed softly, and looked up into the skylight again. "I'm not really sure. I have faith in your abilities, and Sasuke is certainly capable, but…I thought it was a bit rash to give you such a dangerous mission right off the bat. Don't get me wrong. You've done a very good job of equipping a team. Its just…a rather odd move from Lady Hokage." He said thoughtfully. Avari nodded, and took another sip of her coffee. "I was talking with Sasuke yesterday, and he mentioned that it might be some kind of power play…to show we're just as dangerous as our adversaries. Which…in a way makes sense, but I don't like it." She said, and stared out at the storm as well. Kakashi gave her the merest of glances for a moment. "Did you and Sasuke have a good time yesterday?" he asked, his tone smooth and nonchalant. Avari rolled her eyes. "Yes. We sparred, and had tea and talked about the mission…which reminds me, I've had a thought about that." She said, again steering the conversation out of dangerous waters.

Kakashi smiled at her, his eyes twinkling in the darkness, but he humored her by asking what the thought was. "We've got a week to spy on them and try and work out their weaknesses, and tactical movements, and whatnot, right? Well…considering that we would have to sneak into the base to actually get anything relevant, we'd have to do that on the last day, when we could make a break for it as soon as we had the information. So, we had the thought that we should spend the first 6 days observing their movements, so that the operation to get inside will be flawless, or at least have a much higher success rate." She finished, and watched him to see what he thought of it. Kakashi mulled this over for a few moments as he took another long swig of coffee, then put the mug down again and nodded. "That would be the most logical course of action. It's what I would do. But, I would add that we may have to make revisions once there, and the group might have to split off frequently from one another, into two or three groups. The smaller our numbers, the more inconspicuous we become to the enemy." He said, his head tilted back to watch the storm. 

Avari frowned. She did not like the idea of not having watch over her team at all times, but she could not deny the logic in his words. "We'd probably also do well to pack food that doesn't need to be cooked, and that keeps for a long time. Lighting a cooking fire would be suicide." She mused aloud.

He nodded. A thought occurred to her, and she looked sharply at her father. "It could only ever be two groups at a time. I won't have anyone out on their own." She said resolutely, knowing what he had meant to do. Kakashi looked down at her, and sighed a bit. "Avari…It would be much easier to move and observe in two man groups, and I've got enough experience to keep myself out of trouble and out of sight." Kakashi said reasonably, but Avari vehemently shook her head. "Absolutely not. I'm team captain; it's my job to bring ALL of you back home with me. And what kind of home would I have to come back to without my dad? No way, not happening." Avari said worry and irritation at the idea fighting for dominance in her tone. Kakashi shook his head with a small smile, but nodded. "Alright, dear…I didn't mean anything by it." He said with a conciliatory wave of his hands.

Avari gave him a hard look for a moment before deciding he meant it, and the swilled down the rest of her coffee. Outside, the storm was raging as though it meant to do so forever. Father and daughter stared out at it in silence for a long time, before Avari turned her attention to him again. "Hey…This storm looks like it might just keep going all the way through today, and I'm not walking in it until I have to…so, if you want, I'll scoot outta your room and let you go back to sleep?" She offered. Kakashi shrugged. "I wouldn't mind the sleep, but I'll never shoo you out of my room if you want the company, so it's up to you." He said, and smiled warmly. Avari smiled back, but shook her head. "I think I might actually try and get some more sleep. I've still got time…I'll see you in the morning, Dad." She said, and got up to hug him before heading out of the room again.

Instead of going to her room, however, she went out and laid on the couch in the living room. The long, almost pane-less windows in the room gave a perfect view of the roiling sky, and Avari stared out into it for a long time. At first, she mulled over thoughts of the mission, going over and over the members of her team and plans and strategies in her mind. Eventually, however, her mind swept her towards Sasuke. This mission would most likely effect him more than anyone else on the team, and she was worried about him. She had thought to ask him about it during their little chat the previous day, but had not had the heart to bring it up when he seemed in such high spirits. She knew she would have to talk to him about it eventually, however, and she was not looking forward to it one bit.

Instead of dwelling here, her brain carried her to thoughts of her childhood, and her first meeting with him. They had practically grown up together, and she cared for him very deeply. The conscious part of her mind was not ready to confront the parts that weren't friendship, but her subconscious knew it was there, nonetheless. "Besides," She mused aloud to the tormented sky. "Its not like it matters, in any case. Sasuke doesn't want that kind of thing, anyways. I'm perfectly fine with the friendship I've got." She nodded at the almost childish self assurance. "Maybe…but who else would he willingly spend so much time with?" Kakashi's soft voice came from right behind her head, and she started so badly she fell off the couch. She righted herself, blushing madly in the darkness and glaring. "What in the hell is wrong with you???" She whisper-screeched at him. Kakashi feigned an innocent look and held up his empty coffee cup. "I was just coming to put this in the sink…" He said softly. "Not my fault I happened in on your man talk with yourself." He pointed out, and whisked away into the kitchen before anything else could be said.

Avari snarled silently after him, before plopping back down on the couch again. A while later, he wandered off towards his room again. "Don't give up." He whispered cryptically as he passed. He could have meant any number of things, be she already knew what, and blushed even more. After she heard his footsteps die away, she turned her attentions back to the storm. Slowly, her eyes dropped, and sleep stole her away into a dreamless black.


	6. Chapter 6

Hours later, the storm had worn itself down a bit, but the rain was still coming down in stubborn, sullen sheets. Avari woke up to find herself alone in the house. She started, jumped off the couch, and threw herself into the kitchen, checking the clock frantically, and relaxing when she realized she still had an hour before the ANBU corps was supposed to open. She took the thermos Kakashi had left her, and tucked it into her bag as she left the house. She made her way quickly to the building, trying to keep as dry as possible, and slipped through the doors into the still dark building.

Instead of going to the training gym like she normally would, she turned down another hallway into one of the meeting rooms, and clicked on the overhead projector instead of the halogen lamps. She removed one of the maps from the cupboard, and sat down with it and a marker, taking sips of her coffee and making small markings here and there to mark possible movements of her team. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she did not notice that another person had entered the room until the overhead lights clicked on. She gave an involunantry little yelp and almost knocked her coffee onto the floor. She was preparing to give whoever it was a very good reason to avoid turning on lights in her presence, but did not have the chance as Lee spoke up. "Good morning, Avari-san, I'm sorry if I startled you…am I too early?" He stepped further into the room, and took a seat next to Avari, looking over the markings. "Oh, yea, a bit, but that's fine, you can help me out with this." She smiled, and pointed down at the map. "It was brought to my attention that it would be a good idea to split us up into two groups once there to watch their movements from both sides, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to cover the most action." Avari said, gesturing towards the many red and blue dots on the map.

Lee gave the map a decidedly sorrowful glance, and looked back up at Avari. "I am sorry, Miss Avari…but strategy…has never been my strong point," He started, clearly uncomfortable, but Avari waved it away. "Oh, don't worry about it…It's taken me a lot of practice to get to be any good at all. We'll just leave this until the others show up." She said with a reassuring smile. She folded the map and set it too the side. "Coffee?" She offered, leaning the thermos towards him, but he shook his head. "Caffeine makes me jittery." He said with a small grin. Avari shrugged. "Suit yourself…" and poured herself another cup. "Does Gai know you've taken this mission with me?" She asked politely. Lee nodded vehemently. "Oh yes, I told him I was helping you out yesterday as soon as we were dismissed. He's given me the green light," He added in a tone of deep respect. "Well, I'm glad…you'll have to pass along my gratitude and regards next time you see him." She said with a small smile. "Yes, of course!" Lee agreed with a grin.

Not long after this, Sasuke and Kakashi entered the room, apparently deeply immersed in conversation. They stopped when they entered the room, and Sasuke took a seat on Avari's other side, and Kakashi leaned up against the far wall and took out his book. "Morning guys," She said, and then, "Where's Shikamaru?" She asked, looking around. "We passed him on the way here, he's getting coffee." Sasuke explained with a glance in her direction. "Ah, right, well…long as he's on his way." She sighed. For some reason the fact that they had not shown up at the same time caused her mild anxiety, and she pulled her maps back towards herself, agitated. Thankfully Shikamaru showed up a few moments later, and some of her agitation lifted now that she did not have to sit idle.

"Alright, guys, we've got a lot of work to do in a short amount of time…If you'll all come in a bit closer, we can start buckling down these plans." Avari said, a brisk, businesslike air coming over her as things began to fall into place. They worked on strategy like that for hours, as the ANBU compound came alive around them. People came and went, collecting items and information for their individual missions, and flitting back out into the sullen, indifferent gray of the rain. They worked and planned all that day and well into the night, sometimes arguing over who should go where, other times listening to one another point out a flaw or make a suggestion. When they finally emerged, darkness had settled over Konohagakure once more. Exhausted but exhilarated with the progress they had made, Avari dismissed her team, and sent them home to get some rest.

"You know, if we continue on this way, we may be able to leave a bit ahead of schedule, which might actually be a good idea. The less time we have to sit idle, the better." Avari mused aloud, lowering her head into her arms.

"Agreed. I would say we should be ship shape in two days rather than six, yes?" Kakashi responded. "Yea. I'll have to go and put in the change with Lady Tsunade sometime tomorrow." Here, she sighed, and stared dismally out into the rain.

After a moment a thought occurred to her, and she lifted her head to cast a glance at Sasuke, who had been silent for the last two hours of the meeting. The movement did not register to him, because he continued to stare, lost in thought, at a point on the far wall. "Hey…Sasuke." Avari said softly, and her voice seemed to pull him forcibly back to earth, because he jumped and turned towards her. It seemed to be news to him that everyone had left, because he cast a rather confused glance about the room before coming back to meet her gaze. "Meetings over," He grunted. Avari nodded. "Yea, I dismissed everyone. I figure we've been here long enough." She said with the slightest of wry smiles. He did not return the sentiment, but turned jerkily towards the door again. Avari bit her lip, because she thought she knew why. She cast a glance at her father, who took the hint immediately, and, with a concerned glance at Sasuke, left the room, shutting the door behind him with a slight click.

Sasuke turned around and gave her a questioning look, but for a few moments Avari simply stood there, rooted with indecision. "Sasuke…can I talk to you?" She asked carefully, keeping her gaze on his stormy one. He shrugged and sat down again, and waited for her to continue. "Are you alright?" Avari asked, going for the least complicated path. "Sure," He muttered apathetically. "I'm serious, Sasuke. If…something is on your mind, then talk to me." She was trying to tread lightly here. The business of Itachi was unstable ground with Sasuke, but she had to talk to him so she sat with him in silence, waiting to see what would happen. For many long, excruciating moments there was nothing, and then he spoke. "We're going to be within feet of him the whole time." The statement was simple enough, but the darkness and turmoil in his voice made goose bumps erupt onto Avari's skin.

"Yes…and, Sasuke, I will understand if you don't want to go. I don't want to put you in a position where you have to endure this. I'd—I'd rather keep you away from that pain." She pulled the ring off her index finger and began spinning it in her fingers. She would never give him a direct order when it came to his brother, or matters of the heart, so she was giving him the choice. Not because she thought it was better, but because it was true. She would rather keep him from pain than keep him on the team. Perhaps something of this was evident in her tone, because instead of becoming angry and unresponsive, Sasuke sighed. "No. I want to come with you. You'll need me on this." He held up a hand to keep her from arguing. "I'll be just fine." He said this softly, and held her gaze steadily. Avari stared back at him for a few moments before nodding slowly. "Thank you." She responded with a soft smile. The edges of his mouth quirked to return it this time, and she took that as a good sign.

She stood up and cracked her back, before turning back to him. "Shall we venture out into the world? I don't know about you, but if I never see this damn room again it will be too soon." He rolled his eyes in agreement and, holding the door for her like always, the exited out of the room, and then out into the sullen drizzle.


	7. Chapter 7

The little droplets were cold as ice and splashed unmercifully against their warm faces as Avari and Sasuke made their way up the street. Since there was no lightning anymore, Avari felt it safe to run for the cover of the trees. Sasuke followed her, and, making a split second decision…Avari jumped in a giant puddle and drowned him with freezing water. He gave an alarmed yelp of protest and then stood there, dripping and indignant, glaring at her. "What was that for, you loser?!" He harped, snarling. Instead of being alarmed by this display of irritation, Avari just laughed.

"Oh, I don't know…thought some cold water might help wake you up." She said, grinning at him in the semi-darkness of the trees. He closed his eyes for a moment, grinding his teeth irritably and wringing the bottom of his shirt. When he opened his eyes again, however, the irritation was gone, replaced with something sadistic and dangerous. Avari paled. "Nuh uh…" she said through clenched teeth, and took a step back from him. The sadistic little glint only sharpened at her protest. "Uh huh…" he responded, taking a step closer to her. She did not move, but waited to see what he would do. When he continued to move towards her, that gleam making his eyes sparkle in the semi-darkness, she spun and disappeared into the forested area behind them. He followed her without missing a beat, and stayed hot on her heels until she jumped up into the canopy of the trees, and hid herself amongst the thick growth of leaves.

He disappeared from sight below her, but she could still hear him moving about in the undergrowth…meaning he was making no effort to conceal his movements. "You know, Avari…if you'd just come out, this would all be over." His tone was light and conversational, but that same sadistic glint sparked underneath it, and she knew better. With a small grin, she climbed a bit higher into the canopy. He noticed the movement but did not turn about to show it. He knew where she was, so there was no rush going after her. Once he was sure he was out of visual range, he began making seals with his hands.

Avari sat very still up in her tree. He had stopped moving, and that was annoying, because she could no longer pinpoint where he was if he was silent. Taking a chance, she scooted down a little lower to see if she could see him, and let out an alarmed screech as his head dropped down not two inches from her. Upon further inspection, she found that he was hanging upside down from the branch above her. Before she could even giggle, he muttered, "Better duck," And poofed out of existence. "A clone…" She muttered, but before she could contemplate it further, a cacophonic roar of moving water rose up behind her, and she just had time to turn her head before she was engulfed in the Water Dragon Jutsu. It ripped her off the tree and she plummeted with it towards the ground.

Her eyes were already closed tightly against the barrage of water, and she had braced herself, fully expecting to make bone shattering contact with the ground, but hit something warm and solid just before it. Thinking it was the trunk of the tree, she clung to it as tightly as possible, waiting for the Jutsu to wear itself out. When if finally did, she slowly became aware of two things. Firstly, that the thing she was clinging to was soft…like fabric. The second…that there was pressure under her legs as well as around her arms that she had not previously noticed. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find herself lying, drenched and sputtering and utterly bemused, not against the trunk of a tree, but in Sasuke's arms.

Her eyes snapped open wide, and she stared up at him. Unbeknownst to her, pink had danced up into her ears, but she just continued to stare. He stared down at her, too, utterly silent, but the sparkle of sadism had cleared from his expression, and was replaced by something unreadable. When she finally recovered the ability to speak, she snarled, hissing and spitting like a wet cat. "You loser, are you out of your mind?! I could have _drowned!_" she hissed, although the small grin playing about her lips showed that she was not entirely irritated. Her prone position made it rather impossible for her to be intimidating, but he made no move to put her down, so she just hung there, dripping and shivering. The corners of her lips quirked upwards, and he smiled softly down at her. "Well…teach you to _splash_ people, won't it?" He responded after many long moments, and put her down gently on her feet.

A slight breeze rushed icily through the clearing, and struck Avari like knives. She shivered roughly, and clutched herself in an attempt to keep warm. The smirk dropped from abruptly from his face and he took a step closer, effectively blocking the breeze. "Come on, you're soaked, lets get you home." He said, his tone disapproving, as though she had _chosen_ to be soaking wet. She did not move when he went to lead her out of the forest, and he stopped and stared at her. "You're the one who drowned me." She said, almost defensively.

He stopped in front of her, and crossed his arms across his chest. "Yea, well, you started it, didn't you?" He stated with a frown. Avari shrugged. "Meh, you liked it. I, however, do NOT like to be drowned by water dragons." She was being purposefully argumentative now, and he must have known it, because he leaned down a bit so that they were eye level. Avari found that it was rather hard to breath with his face not inches from her own. He stood there for a good minute or so, until he was sure he had her attention, and then spoke again. "Move it," He said, his tone low, commanding and challenging at the same time, and so close that she could feel his breath on her face. The part of her brain that normally urged her to come back with something witty lay down and waved a white flag, and all she could muster in response to this was an absent nod. He tilted his head to the side for a moment and her face flushed violently—he couldn't be—but then he straightened up again, and was leading her out of the woods.


End file.
